Story 59
Nia and the Lost Leopard Cub
12 minute read · Teamwork and asking for help
Lou-Anne was sitting beneath M’Pofo’s big baobab tree, trying to teach Vakawu how to play noughts and crosses.
“You cannot put your cross there,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Because you already put one there.”
Vakawu frowned at the drawing in the dust.
“That seems unnecessarily restrictive.”
Before Lou-Anne could explain the rules for the fourth time, a spotted shape came racing through the long grass.
It was Nia.
The young leopard skidded to a halt beside the baobab, sending dust flying over everyone.
Ubejane, who had been enjoying a peaceful nap, opened one eye.
“Nia,” he grumbled, “some of us were having a perfectly good afternoon until you arrived in it.”
Nia ignored him.
“Lou-Anne, I need your help.”
Lou-Anne stood up at once.
“What happened?”
“I found a leopard cub.”
Vakawu leapt to his feet.
“A baby leopard?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see it?”
“That is why I came to get everyone.”
M’Pofo stepped out from behind the baobab carrying a large bunch of fresh Mopani leaves in his trunk.
“Where is the cub?”
“Near the rocky hills,” answered Nia. “It is hiding in a hollow tree, and I cannot find its mother anywhere.”
Lou-Anne looked worried.
“Is it hurt?”
“I don’t think so. But it is very frightened.”
Ubejane slowly stood up.
“Then we had better go and find its mother before someone less friendly finds the cub.”
Vakawu jumped onto M’Pofo’s back.
“Excellent. A rescue mission.”
M’Pofo looked over his shoulder.
“You could walk.”
“I am saving my strength for the rescue.”
“You are sitting on my back.”
“Exactly.”
So Lou-Anne, M’Pofo, Nia, Vakawu and Ubejane set off towards the rocky hills.
On the way they met Buhala, the banded mongoose, who was digging beneath a fallen branch.
“Where are you all going?” she called.
“We’re looking for a missing leopard,” shouted Vakawu.
Buhala stared at Nia.
“You found her.”
“A different leopard.”
“Oh.”
Buhala immediately joined them.
The little mongoose was excellent at finding tracks and smells, although she occasionally became distracted by beetles.
When they reached the rocky hills, Nia led them between two large boulders and into a shady hollow.
“Listen,” she whispered.
Everyone became quiet.
From somewhere ahead came a tiny sound.
“Mew.”
Lou-Anne hurried towards an old dead tree.
Inside the hollow trunk sat a very small leopard cub.
Its fur was covered in beautiful black spots, and its enormous eyes stared nervously at the strangers.
“Oh, you poor little thing,” whispered Lou-Anne.
The cub backed farther into the tree.
Nia lay down near the opening.
“It’s all right,” she said gently. “We’re going to find your mother.”
The cub gave another tiny mew.
Vakawu peered into the hollow.
“He looks hungry.”
“He probably is,” said Lou-Anne.
Vakawu searched around himself and produced half a banana.
Nia stared at him.
“He is a leopard.”
Vakawu looked at the banana.
Then at the cub.
“Worth asking.”
“No.”
Vakawu ate the banana himself.
M’Pofo examined the ground around the tree.
“There are tracks here.”
Buhala rushed over.
“Let me see.”
The mongoose sniffed around the dusty earth.
“There are definitely leopard tracks.”
Nia bent down beside her.
“They belong to an adult female.”
“His mother?” asked Lou-Anne.
“Probably.”
The tracks led away from the tree towards the long grass.
“Then we follow them,” said Lou-Anne.
Nia stayed with the cub while the others began tracking the mother.
Buhala led the way with her nose almost touching the ground.
M’Pofo followed behind, carefully avoiding stepping on the tracks.
Vakawu followed M’Pofo.
Ubejane followed Vakawu.
Lou-Anne followed everyone.
After a few minutes, Buhala stopped.
“The tracks disappear.”
Ahead of them was a patch of hard, rocky ground.
Vakawu looked around.
“Well, that is inconvenient.”
M’Pofo lifted his trunk and sniffed the air.
“I can smell water.”
“So can I,” said Lou-Anne.
They followed M’Pofo towards a little stream hidden between the rocks.
Beside the water were many footprints.
Antelope.
Warthog.
Monkey.
Birds.
And leopard.
Buhala examined them carefully.
“The mother came here.”
“But which way did she go afterwards?” asked Lou-Anne.
That was much harder to tell.
The ground on the other side of the stream was covered in stones.
Ubejane snorted.
“Perhaps she crossed the water.”
“Perhaps,” said Lou-Anne.
Vakawu suddenly pointed into a nearby tree.
“Look!”
Caught on a low branch was a small tuft of golden fur.
Nia, who had quietly followed them after settling the cub deeper inside the hollow, walked over and sniffed it.
“That is leopard fur.”
“So she went this way,” said Lou-Anne.
The friends followed the direction of the branch.
A few metres farther on, they heard a strange sound.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Everyone stopped.
Scratch.
Scratch.
“Something is behind those rocks,” said Buhala.
Ubejane moved forward cautiously.
Lou-Anne followed beside M’Pofo.
They rounded a large boulder.
There, squeezed into a narrow crack between two rocks, was an adult leopard.
She was trying desperately to pull herself free.
One of her back legs was trapped.
Nia gasped.
“That must be the cub’s mother!”
The leopard growled when she saw them.
“Careful,” said M’Pofo.
Lou-Anne stayed back.
“She’s frightened.”
Nia slowly approached.
“We found your cub,” she called.
The trapped leopard stopped struggling.
“My cub?”
“He’s safe.”
The mother leopard let out a long breath.
“I was hunting when these rocks shifted. I’ve been trapped since this morning.”
Lou-Anne examined the rocks.
One large stone had fallen against the leopard’s leg.
“We need to move that one.”
Ubejane stepped forward.
“At last, a problem properly suited to a rhinoceros.”
He put his horn against the stone and pushed.
Nothing happened.
M’Pofo joined him.
The elephant pressed his forehead against the rock.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
They pushed together.
The rock moved slightly.
“Again,” said Lou-Anne.
M’Pofo and Ubejane pushed harder.
The stone rolled aside with a great grinding noise.
The mother leopard pulled her leg free.
She tried to stand, but immediately sat down again.
“My leg is sore.”
Lou-Anne knelt nearby.
“Can you walk?”
“I think so.”
Nia helped her stand.
Slowly, the leopard tested her foot.
She limped, but she could move.
Vakawu climbed onto a rock.
“Excellent. Rescue complete.”
“You did almost nothing,” said Ubejane.
“I provided encouragement.”
“You ate a banana.”
“That too.”
The group slowly made their way back towards the hollow tree.
As they approached, the little cub heard them coming.
“Mew!”
The mother leopard hurried forward despite her sore leg.
The cub came tumbling out of the hollow.
He ran straight towards her.
The two leopards rubbed their faces together, and the cub climbed all over his mother while making happy little squeaking sounds.
Lou-Anne smiled.
Nia sat proudly beside her.
“He is very small.”
“He is,” said Lou-Anne.
“And very noisy.”
“He was frightened.”
Vakawu appeared beside them.
“I think we should name him.”
The mother leopard looked at him.
“He already has a name.”
Vakawu seemed disappointed.
“What is it?”
“Tamu.”
“That’s a good name.”
“I know.”
Tamu ran over to Nia and tried to bite her tail.
Nia jumped.
Vakawu laughed so loudly that he fell off the rock he was sitting on.
Ubejane looked down at him.
“Another successful display of monkey intelligence.”
Vakawu sat up.
“I slipped.”
“There was no reason for you to be on the rock.”
“That is irrelevant.”
The mother leopard thanked everyone for helping her.
“I don’t know what would have happened if Nia hadn’t found Tamu.”
Nia looked pleased.
“I heard him calling from the hollow tree.”
“And then you came to find us,” said Lou-Anne.
“I knew I could not do everything myself.”
Ubejane gave a satisfied grunt.
“That may be the most sensible thing a leopard has said all week.”
Nia flicked her tail at him.
By the time they returned to the baobab, the sun was sinking low over the Savannah.
M’Pofo brought out some marula berries.
Lou-Anne shared a piece of bread with Buhala.
Vakawu searched hopefully for another banana.
Ubejane lay down beneath the tree and announced that rescuing leopards was exhausting work, even though he had only pushed one rock.
Nia sat beside Lou-Anne.
“Do you think Tamu will remember us?”
“Probably.”
“Even Vakawu?”
Lou-Anne looked towards the vervet monkey, who had just discovered that he had accidentally sat on his own banana.
“I think Vakawu is difficult to forget.”
Nia laughed.
So, you see, little one, even the strongest and fastest animals sometimes need help. Nia could climb trees and run faster than most of her friends, but she knew when she needed M’Pofo’s strength, Ubejane’s power, Buhala’s clever nose and Lou-Anne’s kindness.
And because everyone helped, a frightened little leopard cub was reunited with his mother.
Which was far more important than winning at noughts and crosses.
Although Vakawu still insisted he had been winning.